History

London: C and J Rivington, T. Cadell et al., 1827. 6 volume set, 9 inches tall. A very handsome early Victorian full calf by Wiseman of Cambridge. With blind tooled raised bands and smart gilt framing to the panels. The gilt embossed crest of Queen's College Cambridge within gilt and blind fillets frames the boards. Some rubbing but a solid and firm set. Subtitled 'The History of Modern Europe with an account of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire; and a View of the Progress of Society, from the Rise of the Modern Kingdoms to the Peace of Paris in 1763, in a Series of Letters from a Nobleman to his Son. A New Edition with a Continuation, Terminating at the Death of Alexander, the Russian Emperor, in 1825.

London: Longmans, Green and Co., 1873-1876. 10 volumes, 8 1/2 inches tall. Very smart full Victorian calf by Carss of Glasgow, and with their binder's ticket. With gilt raised bands and neat gilt tooling to the panels. The boards are framed by gilt and blind fillets and blind corner tools. The best edition, containing his classic 'History of England', in eight volumes and 'His Life and Letters' in two. Armorial bookplate.

Chiswick: Printed by C. Whittingham for R. Triphook, 1822. Half Calf, 6 1/2 inches tall. A good looking later binding in half mottled calf with a smooth back, gilt pallets, centre tools and label. Gilt top edge. Portrait. Small split to the head of the upper board but perfectly firm and solid. Foxing to the preliminaries. Martyred for his opposition to the Protestant Reformation, More is venerated as a Saint by the Catholic Church.

London: William Pickering, 1840; Cambridge: Deighton, 1848. 5 volume set, 9 inches tall. A most handsome Victorian full calf binding with gilt raised bands, twin labels and delicate gilt tooling to the panels. A fine set of the lectures of William Smyth, an English poet and historian celebrated for his analysis of both the American and French revolutions.

London: A Millar, 1763. 8 volume set, 8 inches tall. A beautiful 18th century French mottled calf with gilt raised bands, twin labels and gilt floral tooling to the panels. With the label of the Bibliotheque de Champvieux. There is some slight cracking to a couple of joints and some slight rubbing but the set is perfectly solid and firm. Internally this is a very clean set of the first octavo edition of this great history of England.

London: Longman, Rees, et al., 1837. 4 volume set, 8 3/4 inches tall. An exceptionally fine mid-Victorian full calf from the library of Alfred de Rothschild, but without his bookplate. With gilt raised bands, twin labels and flamboyant gilt tooling to the panels. Twin gilt fillets frame the boards. Some foxing to the preliminaries, otherwise pristine. William Russell's history has here been edited and revised with some important corrections and continued to the death of William IV of England.

London: John Murray, 1901. 2 volume set, 8 3/4 inches tall. A beautiful Edwardian full calf binding from the library of Alfred de Rothschild, but without his bookplate. With gilt raised bands, twin labels and beautiful gilt tooling to the panels. Gilt and blind fillets frame the boards. Foxing to the preliminaries then pristine. Illustrated throughout. The notorious Lady Sarah Lennox was 'Daughter of Charles, 2nd Duke of Richmond, and successively the Wife of Sir Thomas Charles Bunbury, Bart.; and of the Hon: George Napier'. The work also includes 'a short political sketch of the years 1760 to 1763 by Henry Fox, 1st Lord Holland'. A favourite of both King George II and King George III she led a remarkable and scandalous life.

London: John Murray, 1845. 2 volume set, 8 3/4 inches tall. A classic Victorian full calf binding by Bickers with gilt raised bands, twin labels and extra gilt tooling to the panels. Twin gilt fillets and corner tools frame the boards. A neat inscription "....On his leaving Eton Xmas 1866." on the first blank. A handsome clean set of Lappenberg's greatest work translated into English for the first time.

Edinburgh: Archibald Constable, 1819. Half calf, 8 1/2 inches tall. A splendid Regency binding on half 'Russia' calf, with gilt raised bands, blind pallets and ornate, dense extra gilt panels. Particularly interesting marbled paper on the boards. From the library of Alfred de Rothschild but without the bookplate. Some foxing on the engraved frontispiece, otherwise clean. A tear on one leaf, not affecting the text. Romanticized by Sir Walter Scott and John Buchan, 'The Great Montrose', Seventeenth century Scottish nobleman, poet and soldier, fought for Charles I in the Civil War.

London: Baldwin, Cradock et Joy, 1824. 2 volume set, 8 1/2 inches tall. A splendid Regency binding on half 'Russia' calf, with gilt raised bands, blind pallets and ornate, dense extra gilt panels. Particularly interesting marbled paper on the boards. From the library of Alfred de Rothschild but without the bookplate. An anonymous work on the life of this extraordinary woman with 'correlative details of the literature and manners of Italy and Provence in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries'. With some foxing and a couple of paper tears not affecting the text. A lovely set.

London: John W. Parker, 1857-1861; Longmans, Green, and Co., 1872; Sampson Low et al., 1880. 7 volume set, 8 3/4 inches tall. Superb Victorian full calf bindings by the great firm of J. Leighton of Brewer Street from the library of Alfred de Rothschild, though without his bookplate. The 'History of Civilization in England' and 'Miscellaneous and Posthumous Works' are both first editions. With gilt raised bands, twin labels and neat gilt frame around a sunburst centre tool to the panels. Some foxing to the preliminaries and a slight stain to the title page of The life of, otherwise perfectly clean. Buckle, the highly influential English historian and author was an exponent of 'Historical Science'.

London: Richard Bentley, 1859. 2 volume set, 8 3/4 inches tall. A delightful full Edwardian calf binding with gilt raised bands, twin labels and ornate gilt tooling to the panels. Portraits. A neat ink previous owner's signature on the title pages.From the library of Alfred de Rothschild but without his bookplate. A well written and fascinating memoirs covering, amongst many other subjects, The Union with Ireland, The American Wars of Independence, The French Revolution and his own mental illness. A superb set in pristine condition.

London: T. Cadell, 1827. 4 volume set, 8 3/4 inches tall. A splendid Georgian full calf with gilt raised bands, twin labels including finely tooled volume labels and highly ornate extra gilt panels. Portrait. A celebrated history of the second son of Lorenzo de Medici, the Magnificent. Leo, born Giovanni di Lorenzo de' Medici, was Pope in the early sixteenth century. He was a highly cultured and artistic man although his virtues as the leader of the Catholic Church are debated to this day. A very good looking set.

London: John Murray, 1846. 2 volume set, 8 3/4 inches tall. A very good looking Victorian full calf binding with gilt raised bands, extra gilt panels and twin labels, the volume label being particularly ornate. Some rubbing but overall a most handsome binding. This fine set does not have the bookplates but it has come from the library of Alfred de Rothschild. Covering the period from the Accession of Henry VII to the Death of George II, this work has long been considered a classic on the subject.

London: Macmillan and Co., 1885. 4 volume set, 8 3/4 inches tall. A sparkling late Victorian half calf binding by Mudie with gilt raised bands, contrasting twin labels and gilt floral centre tools. A fine set of this classic work by the English historian Richard Green, in pristine condition, inside and out.

London: Hutchinson & Co., 1907. Full calf, 8 1/2 inches tall. A shining binding by Bayntun with gilt raised bands, twin labels and neatly gilt framed panels. Gilt fillets framing the boards, dentelles and all edges. From the Library of the Late Christopher Foyle of Beeleigh Abbey. With 17 plates and extra-Illustrated with several engraved portraits. A lovely copy of this history of frolicking and intrigue at the 17th century French court of the Sun King.

London: G. Bell and Sons, 1922. Full calf, 7 3/4 inches tall. Two volumes bound as one. A splendid tree calf binding by Bickers with gilt raised bands, twin labels and ornate gilt tooling to the panels. A single gilt fillet frames the boards. Portrait and 20 further illustrations. Eighth edition, revised. Slight foxing on the portrait, otherwise clean. A handsome copy of the Life of Napoleon Bonaparte.

London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1926. Full calf, 8 1/2 inches tall. A splendid binding by Bayntun with gilt raised bands, twin labels and floral gilt tooling framing the panels. Twin gilt fillets frame the boards. Gilt dentelles and all edges. From the Library of the Late Christopher Foyle of Beeleigh Abbey. Extra-illustrated with 16 engraved plates. An entertaining account of the Restoration of the monarchy and life of King Charles II. A sparkling copy.

London: Constable and Company, 1905. Full calf, 8 1/4 inches tall. A splendid bright full calf by Bayntun of Bath with gilt raised bands, sparkling twin labels and gilt framed panels. Gilt dentelles and all edges. From the Library of the Late Christopher Foyle of Beeleigh Abbey. Illustrated with 20 full page plates, including extra-illustrations, some hand-coloured.
An entertaining work in a lovely binding.